The festival announced that the Filmmaker-in-Focus for this year will be Stanley Kwan.

The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) will celebrate Kwan’s remarkable career with a retrospective of 13 films which also coincide with a commemorative book publication about him. The director will attend a Face-to-Face session scheduled for April 5th where he will talk about his craft and his insights on the cinema industry.

About this news Hong Kong International Film Festival Society Executive Director Albert Lee commented: “Stanley is an auteur, and we are proud to acknowledge his unique and indelible contributions towards Hong Kong cinema,” he also added “He has developed a highly personal aesthetic style in his portray of the female psyche while capturing the nuanced transformation of the city and the era. Stanley has set benchmarks for LGBTQ films in Chinese-language cinema with his exploration of gender and sexuality issues.”

In a distinguished career spanning more than 40 years, Kwan has crafted numerous classics and is best known for making films with feminine sensibilities. His career begun in 1979 as an assistant director for filmmakers such as Peter Yung, Patrick Tam and Ann Hui. He debuted as a director in 1985 with “Women”, and his second feature “Love Unto Waste” (1986) proved he would become a prominent filmmaker.

“Full Moon in New York” (1989) and “Red Rose White Rose” (1994) granted him international recognition. While “Rouge” (1987), featuring the legendary collaboration of Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung; and “Center Stage” (1992), with Maggie Cheung, confirmed his place in the pantheon of Hong Kong Cinema.

Beyond directing and producing, KWAN’s oeuvre extends to theatres, TV dramas and short films while also serving as an adjunct professor at a local university. 

Stanley Kwan’s retrospective will feature:
1985 – Women
1986 – Love Unto Waste
1987 – Rouge
1989 – Full Moon in New York
1992 – Center Stage (Director’s Cut)
1994 – Red Rose White Rose
1996 – Yang ± Yin: Gender in Chinese Cinema
1997 – Still Love You After All These
1998 – Hold You Tight
2000 – The Island Tales
2001 – Lan Yu
2005 – Everlasting Regret
2018 – First Night Nerves

Please remember that the 45th HKIFF will take a new hybrid format for the first time, featuring screenings and audience-engagement events simultaneously in-theatre and online. The festival will reveal this year’s programme, including admission details for Stanley Kwan’s Face-to-Face session, on 9 March. The public can purchase tickets online (www.hkiff.org.hk) and through all URBTIX outlets from 18 March.

To know more, please visit: https://www.hkiff.org.hk